


Christmas Camping

by Kittenatheart



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Christmas, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 20:37:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17372885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittenatheart/pseuds/Kittenatheart
Summary: Scout invites Sniper to his house for Christmas, but first Sniper needs some time alone with Scout to prepare for all the human interaction he’s gonna have to do.





	Christmas Camping

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! This was a Secret Santa gift that I really enjoyed writing:)  
> I hope you enjoy it!

“Hey, hey, WATCH IT!!”

At the sound of Scout’s frantic calling, Sniper glanced up to see an enormous evergreen toppling toward him. He had been trudging through the freezing woods for at least an hour, searching for Scout. When he’d woken up and found the bed next to him empty, he had merely thought it was weird. When he’d searched the trailer and found no sign of Scout whatsoever, he started getting worried. He had gone outside and called out for Scout, but received no response. Beginning to panic, he’d grabbed a jacket and dashed into the trees surrounding the small clearing they’d parked in. He’d been forced to kick through piles of snow and hold his hands under his arms to prevent frostbite in his exposed hands. He only had one glove, and it didn’t even cover his fingers! And after all that he was going to be taken out by a tree??

As the mass of pine needles barreled toward him, swishing in the wind it created and dropping chucks of frozen snow on him, he tried to move his stiff, frozen limbs and get out of the way. Suddenly, a heavy weight crashed into him, knocking him out of the way. He and the other person rolled to the side, pushed by the immense momentum the person had created, and they were tossed across the frozen earth before landing in a heap of soft, fluffy snow. The other person ended up on top of Sniper, and he could feel their heart pumping with adrenaline as their chest was pressed against his.

As they sat up, he looked up into the eyes of his very own Scout, smirking triumphantly down at him. Sniper sighed in relief at finding him unharmed.

“Did ya see that? I just saved your-” Scout’s victorious bragging was stopped short as Sniper grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him into an ardent kiss. Sometimes that boy talked _way_ too much. Right now, Sniper was just glad Scout was safe.

When he finally let go, Scout smiled timidly. It was obvious he still wasn’t used to the relationship they shared, but Sniper was glad to see that he seemed happy. He really hoped Scout was happy, or else they would have no reason to drive into the city in a couple days and meet Scout’s family for Christmas. The thought of so many people in one house made Sniper shudder, but he knew it was important to Scout, so he wanted desperately to go through with it. However, he knew himself too, and he would definitely need some time alone before they would be constantly surrounded by people. He stared up at Scout’s cute, shy smile, and realized that there was no place he would rather be.

Except maybe inside the trailer.

“You bloody wanker, I’ve been lookin’ for you for ages! It’s freezing out here!! You know I’m not built for snow!”

Even Sniper was surprised at how fast his mood changed, but Scout simply rolled with it. Sarcastic and teasing was more in his element, so he probably felt relieved that the intimate moment was now over.

“I saved you! That tree was about to fall on your head but I got you outta the way.” His proud smirk only served to irritate his lover.

“Yeah, and _who’s fault was that,_ huh? Why the bloody hell are you out here in the ice cuttin’ down _trees_?”

“Look, at home, we always have a tree at least two weeks before Christmas. I just wanna smell the pine when I wake up, alright?”

Sniper growled in frustration. “That’s why I bought ya the feckin’ air freshener, ya moron!”

Scout looked taken aback. “Ya did? Oh, well uh... thanks. I guess I’m just used to the real thing, I uh... I guess.”

He smiled sheepishly up at Sniper, knowing fully that he would be forgiven in moments. Sniper sighed again, the tension in his shoulders visibly draining away. That kid really was clueless sometimes – he really hadn’t even noticed the air freshener? To Sniper’s trained nose it reeked, and it’s rancid smell filled the entire trailer. But he couldn’t fault him for it. It was one of the traits that Sniper found so adorable in Scout. He surveyed the fallen tree with interest before turning back to Scout and smiling gently.

“Let’s drag it back then, huh?”

Scout grinned that charming, triumphant smile and the two of them grabbed the trunk of the tree to pull it back to the trailer. They soon realized just how big the tree Scout felled really was. Barely managing to lift it, the two of them sunk deep into the snow and skid on even the thinnest patches of ice. They eventually decided to stop and cut off only the top four feet of the tree for a more manageable piece that might actually fit inside the trailer. Sniper covertly grabbed the thicker end, taking the brunt of the weight from Scout. Scout obviously wasn’t being very careful with the ax he still needed to carry back, causing Sniper to grimly hope he wouldn’t drop the ax directly into his foot or worse...

Luckily Scout didn’t even notice. Sniper knew he would’ve fought him for trying to bear more of the burden, despite the danger of bodily mutilation. Even though his stubbornness could be annoying and frustrating, it was another characteristic Sniper adored.

When they reached the trailer once more, Scout helped Sniper brush off most of the snow before they tried to carry it inside so they wouldn’t soak the floor. Scout knew how much Sniper hated wet floors, especially if he was walking around in socks. Stepping in a puddle while wearing socks was the absolute _worst_ feeling.

The tree was barely through the door when Scout perked up and dashed into the kitchen area.

“Got any fishin’ line?”

“Yeah, probably. I dunno. Check the junk drawer.”

Sniper could hear him tapping one foot impatiently as he rummaged around in the cluttered drawer. He sighed but smiled as he shoved the tree forward to finish putting it up by himself.

“Ye-heah! Score! How’s about somethin’ sharp, like a needle?”

“Of course I’ve got a needle. How d’ya think I patched up me jacket when ya ripped me sleeve off?”

“Hey, I was just runnin’ like I usually do. You were s’posed ta come with when I grabbed your arm.”

“Well a little warning next time might help with that one, mate.” He muttered quietly, but his tone was one of amusement, not anger. He never could stay angry with Scout for long. He finally got the tree to stand, propped up beside the bed to make sure they could smell it as soon as they woke up. As he finished adjusting the branches to make them look nice, he heard Scout’s voice.

“Hey hey hey! Lookit what we’ve got ourselves here!!”

Sniper returned to the kitchen, greeted by the smell of butter and the crackling of popcorn in the microwave. Scout, looking triumphant once more, was threading the needle he’d found with the fishing line.

“What’s that for?” Sniper asked curiously.

“We could never afford them fancy ornaments for the tree. Nah, every year we’d string us some popcorn. We always had to buy double what we’d need because everybody’d eat it as we strung it. Then, every night leading up ta Christmas somebody would take some. We never had anything but a plain tree Christmas morning. Heh. We never even had a star or an angel up top.”

 “So that’s what we’re doing then?”

“Oh yeah, baby!” There was that winning smile.

They worked in comfortable silence, stringing piece after piece of fluffy popped corn. It seemed as though for every piece he put on the string, two more went directly into Scout’s mouth, and Sniper couldn’t help but smile. Occasionally, Sniper would glance up at Scout and catch him staring. Scout would quickly duck his head, blushing furiously with that cute little smile. Sniper chuckled quietly but said nothing, feeling warm inside. Suddenly Sniper had an idea. He stood and found a notepad, marker, and a clothespin from the junk drawer. Not allowing Scout’s wandering eyes to peek, he scribbled on a sheet and went to the other room. He clipped the paper to the top of the tree before returning to his seat in the kitchen and resuming the stringing. Scout raised an eyebrow, but surprisingly said nothing. They continued their work until there were only partially popped kernels left in the bowl.

They went to hang their long decoration, and Scout found Sniper’s surprise. The paper clipped to the top of the tree simply stated, “U.”

“Did you put that there?” Scout asked, knowing full well that Sniper was the only other person who could’ve put it there.

“No idea what you’re talkin’ about, love.” They were both fully aware of what each other was doing, and they could not keep their faces straight.

“Huh. Wonder what it could possibly mean?”

“Well it sure looks like it’s callin’ you an angel or a star.”

“You know, “u” could really mean anybody who’s lookin’ at it. That includes you.”

“Nah, couldn’t be. We don’t have Christmas trees in Australia.”

Scout laughed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, ya Aussie.”

Despite his teasing, Sniper could tell Scout liked the tree topper. He had seen his eyes light up when he first caught sight of it. Yet before he could say anything more, Scout was gone from the room. Sniper followed him to the kitchen to find him rummaging through the junk drawer once again.

“Do you use these?”

He held up a dusty rubber bouncy ball and a misshapen hunk of clay that was supposedly meant to look like Australia. Pyro had given it to him to use as a paperweight, but the shape of his country was completely unrecognizable, and he really had no use for it. Sniper couldn’t even begin to imagine what Scout would want them for.

“Um… no. Why?”

“I just need something to wrap them with…” He ducked down and opened the cupboard under the sink, shouting, “Score!” when he found the bundle of used plastic bags underneath.

“Wot are you doin’ with that useless crap?”

Excitedly, Scout explained as he began wrapping the “gifts” in layers upon layers of plastic bags.

“Okay so every year at my house we play Dirty Bingo. Everybody brings a gift or two, and when ya get a bingo, you gotta seriously yell for your bingo! Then ya go and grab a present. But once they’re all gone from the middle, you gotta start taking gifts from your neighbors, and they can steal from _you_. Best part is: the presents suck. Nobody puts good ones in anymore. Nobody puts anything too bad in though. We don’t want Ma to get bag of crap, ya know? Not again…”

Sniper laughed incredulously and pried the rest of the story out of Scout as together they wrapped the gifts in more bags. When that was done, it was impossible to determine what the two pseudo gifts were through the wads of plastic. Then they both went to bed, admiring the tree by the light of the moon through the trailer window until sleep washed over them both.

 

______________________________________________________________

 

Scout inhaled a deep breath of fresh pine and smiled before opening his eyes and rolling over to gaze at the beautiful tree they shared. He immediately recognized the lack of Sniper’s presence in the bed beside him as he realized a good portion of the popcorn decorating the tree was missing. As he continued scanning the stripped tree, he also noticed an addition to the tree topper. Written on either side of the simple ‘U’ from the night before were a very cramped “sco” to the left and an exaggerated ‘t’ on the right so that it now read, “scoUT.” He couldn’t suppress his smile.

He rolled out of bed and marched toward the kitchen, snatching his own breakfast from the tree on his way. Sniper made no effort to hide his gaze as he watched Scout saunter into the room and sit across from him. Scout could feel a smirk pulling at his lips, and he adored the content expression that appeared on Sniper’s face, just as it always did when he acted smugly. He could tell how much Sniper cared about him simply by moments like these, where most people would be annoyed with him, and yet Sniper can only smile.

Scout wanted to capture this moment in a picture frame, but at the same time, he began chafing under Sniper’s loving gaze. To break the tension, he decided to do what he did best: make a terrible attempt at a joke.

“I wonder who that “scoUT” fella is? He seems pretty smart.”

“Nah, he’s a bloody idiot. Maybe he takes after you?’

“Woah woah woah woAh.” He tried to decide what would be funnier, agreeing or disagreeing, but he realized that maybe – just this once – it would be okay to let Sniper see his real feelings.

“Thank you.”

“Huh?”

“I said… I said thank you. Nobody’s called me a star since I was a kid.” He chuckled. “And nobody’s _ever_ called me an angel.”

Sniper smiled. Not just a content look or a smirk, but a real, gentle smile. Scout soaked it in, basking in the delight of the man he loved. He could not wait to introduce him to his family.

“So... are ya ready ta go meet my Ma?”

Instead of looking apprehensive, as he had every other time Scout asked, Sniper nodded gently.

“Yeah. I think I am.”

 


End file.
